


Guided Tours And Things Forgotten

by theianitor



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: M/M, Nervousness, first day on the job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-07-24 23:57:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20023147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theianitor/pseuds/theianitor
Summary: Charles goes to Maranello for the first time and has Sebastian for a guide. He accidentally stumbles over something not quite intended to be on the tour.





	Guided Tours And Things Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CustardCreamies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CustardCreamies/gifts).



> Hello! Charles isn't one of my 'usuals' but I like a challenge - or an exchange, as the case may be. I hope you enjoy! :)  
> Many thanks to Rabbit for setting the whole thing up: you're a gem. <3

\- 2019, winter break -

At a distance, the Maranello factory looked like a military base or some other secret facility with all its walls and gates. More red and Ferrari flags than the military would normally have, Charles supposed as he parked and got out. There was a chill in the early morning air, and it made him shiver, and made the surrounding lot and buildings somehow more ominous. The huge compound looked completely empty, and he walked up to the main entrance and showed the confirmation he’d been sent to the gate guard with some relief: finally, another human.

Beyond the gate it was quiet and still, not a single person in sight, and Charles felt a little lonely again. Pale sunlight was fighting through the chilly morning air to provide some kind of warmth, but not making much headway.

When he reached the right building he caught sight of his reflection in the big glass doors. He’d dressed neat and put on the Ferrari shirt they’d already sent him, but he’d messed up his hair on the way somehow. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching he tried to flatten the stray strands a bit, and once he was satisfied that it was at least _passable_ he took a deep breath. Then he pulled the door open and went inside.

“Charles, hello.”

Sebastian was waiting in the lobby and greeted him with a smile and his hand outstretched. He was unshaven and had on the same kind of Ferrari-shirt as Charles, but a pair of worn-looking jeans, and looked a lot like a man who had been on break. Shaking hands Charles felt a little more relaxed about fitting in, at least when it came to dress-code.

“Are you ready for the tour?” Sebastian asked, gesturing toward the area beyond the lobby. Charles nodded and held up his notebook.

“Do you have a pen?”

Seb gave him a skeptical look but turned to the smartly-dressed receptionist, said a few words in Italian, and the smiling girl quickly handed over a Ferrari-branded pen. Charles wrote his name on the first page of his notebook, and jotted down a short note about which building held the main reception. Provided this _was_ the main reception, of course.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said. Seb stopped fiddling with his phone and led the way through a short corridor. They stopped at a door where he used a keycard.

“Welcome to Ferrari,” he said, pulling the door open and letting the new driver step through first. Charles’s jaw dropped.

Beyond the door there was a huge hallway, big enough to drive a small truck through. It was brightly lit and sloped gently downward, one side all windows that looked down on an enormous room. People in Ferrari red were moving around, some working on computers and others moving wheeled boxes, like watching an ant-hill – with the distinct difference that there were two very red Formula 1 cars in the middle.

“They look very nice,” Sebastian said with a little smile. Charles could only nod. He’d seen the cars up close before, but there was something about seeing them like this, gleaming under the spotlights, the center of both the room and everyone’s attention. He couldn’t wait to drive them.

“It’s almost a little bit sad that we can’t drive them today, you know?” Sebastian said, like he had heard what Charles was thinking. Charles looked over at him but Seb was still smiling at the cars. “The halls are wide enough...” he continued, scratching his short beard thoughtfully. Then he seemed to realize Charles was still there.

“We could suggest it, for a PR-video or something?” He laughed and nudged Charles, who couldn’t help but laugh along as Seb started walking along the hall again, miming turning a steering wheel.

They made their way through the facility and Seb pointed out the various departments and offices. Charles tried to take notes as much as he could, but found himself feeling a bit overwhelmed at the hugeness of it all. Sebastian navigated it with familiarity and walked down several of the halls tapping away on his phone. Charles was kind of amazed that he could do that and still know exactly where they were. The facility was the size of a small town, and the halls and passages seemed to turn and twist in on themselves – Charles wasn’t even entirely sure they were in the same building anymore.

All the Ferrari-people they met greeted Seb with cheerful exclamations in Italian, the handshakes and hugs making it evident that Seb hadn’t been in much over winter break either. Most of them politely shook hands with Charles, but by the time they finally got to the Sim-area, Charles found he couldn’t remember a single name.

“Here we are,” Sebastian said, stopping in front of a door. “The guys wanted us to do a short drive, in the Sim, and wear the overalls and everything for some photographs.”

He opened the door, revealing a changing room. Going inside, Charles couldn’t help but smile when Seb pointed out a locker that already had his name on it. Inside, there was a Ferrari red overall.

They changed, Seb talking about the first time he’d arrived at Maranello and how nervous and happy he’d been, Charles responding as best he could while worrying that the excited nervousness inside him might just cause a heart attack at any moment.

He had started feeling nervous about the photo-shoot too. Would there be time to fix his hair a little better? Would they have to put on makeup? He wasn’t a complete rookie but Sauber was a small fish in the sea that was Formula 1. Ferrari was a very big shark by comparison. Seb acting so calm and natural helped calm him down though, and when he zipped up his overalls he was happy to find he felt more excited than anything else. He took a deep breath. He could do this.

As they started heading out again, Sebastian stopped unexpectedly with a weird look on his face, staring at one of the lockers. Looking up, Charles saw the same kind of nametag as on his locker – it was an absurd feeling to have a locker in the Ferrari factory that was _his_ – only this one said “Kimi”.

Sebastian stood still so long Charles was about to say something, but he wasn’t sure what. It was well-known that Kimi and Seb were friends, and spiteful rumors about other things, and Charles suddenly felt a little guilty. After a few seconds Seb resolutely pulled the locker door open though, sparing him from having to say anything.

Inside the locker there was a backpack, a pair of gloves, a stack of what looked like small hockeypucks, and some other apparently forgotten things. Without a word, Sebastian stuffed all the loose items into the backpack and closed it, and then put it on the bench in front of his own locker.

“Let’s go,” he said, but when he turned around he looked normal again. They walked toward the room with the simulator, Seb once again fiddling with his phone. It pinged a few times as they walked, and Charles assumed he was responding to emails or something. Whatever he was doing, he was smiling at his phone again, so it must be going well.

The Sim-drive and photo session went by in a flash and soon enough they were free to go again. Throughout the shoot, Seb had been cracking jokes and making the mood very light, and Charles finally felt that he was going to be fine. The pictures had come out alright, the Sim had felt good, and he was over all feeling very positive.

When they’d stepped inside, Sebastian had put his phone on a table over by the door, and Charles had put his notebook down next to it. Seb was busy talking to one of the engineers, so grabbing his notebook Charles figured he might as well give Seb his phone too. When he moved it the screen lit up, showing that there was one unread message. The preview popped up, and the message was so short he read all of it without even really meaning to.

_“Bring my things when you come home today.”_

The phone was still in his hand when the screen got dark again, because Charles suddenly felt completely lost. The text was normal enough, but he had also seen who the sender was. Kimi. The sender field had said ‘Kimi’, and he very much doubted that Sebastian knew more than one. And Kimi had just told Seb to bring his things ‘home’.

Charles wasn’t quite sure how he got changed and got back to his car, and he figured it was only by sheer luck he made it back to the hotel because he certainly didn’t remember the drive. It wasn’t until he got back to the hotel he realized he’d left his notebook behind.

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> All in good fun, as per usual! <3  
> Thanks for the read! :)


End file.
